The Boeing Company

Grace L Duncan

Bradley James Mitchell

Damien O Martin

Lars Eric Blacken

Keith M Cutler

Nick Shabdeh Evans

Ty Aaby Larsen

John Richard Porter

Nick Shadbeh Evans

Eerik J Helmick

David Scott Wright

Aphea Ann Thornton

Jeffrey A McCaskey

Randall Vincent Fraker

Alexey Meerov

Cindy X Li

Dinh X Tran

David S Wright

Methods and apparatus for automated routing of wires of a wire harness on a form board. A wire harness comprising a wire end connector and a multiplicity of groups of wires is supported and carried by a carrier end effector mounted to an end of a first robotic arm. The wire groups are accessed and then routed on the form board by a routing end effector mounted to an end of a second robotic arm. Initially a wire gripper of the routing end effector is opened. The second robotic arm is then controlled to move the routing end effector so that respective first portions of all wire groups are accessible for gripping by the wire gripper. Then the wire gripper is closed to grip the first portions of wires. Then the second robotic arm is controlled to move the routing end effector to place second portions of the wires of all wire groups in a first elastic retainer wire routing device attached to the form board. Thereafter, the routing end effector routes the first group of wires through a second elastic retainer wire routing device and then routes the second group of wires through a third elastic retainer wire routing device.

Methods and apparatus for routing wires of pre-assembled wire harness on form board

Systems and methods for designing and assembling form boards with attached wire routing devices for use in wire bundle assembly. The assembly method comprises: (a) establishing a coordinate system of a form board having a multiplicity of holes; (b) using a computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board based on engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration; and (c) fastening the form board devices of different types to respective holes of the form board having centers closest to respective locations determined in step (b). The form board devices may be inserted robotically or manually.

Form board preparation for wire bundling

A method utilizes a funnel system and robotic end effector grippers to feed an unjacketed portion of a shielded cable through a sleeve. The funnel is designed with one or more thin extensions (hereinafter 'prongs') on which a sleeve is placed prior to a cable entering the funnel. Preferably two or more prongs are employed, although a single prong may be used if properly configured to both guide a cable and fit between the sleeve and cable. The prongs close off the uneven surface internal to a sleeve and provide a smooth surface for the cable to slide along and through the sleeve, preventing any damage to the exposed shielding. The sleeve is picked up and held on the prongs using a robotic end effector. If the sleeve is a solder sleeve, the robotic end effector has grippers designed to make contact with the portions of the solder sleeve that are between the insulating rings and the central solder ring.

Automated methods and apparatus for installing a sleeve on a cable

An apparatus that melts and monitors sleeves for installation onto shielded cables. The apparatus includes a heat source for melting the sleeve, cable supports for supporting the cable during the melting process, a sensor system that is configured to measure a dimension of the sleeve during melting, and a computer that is connected to receive sensor data from the sensor system and send heater control signals to the heat source. The computer is configured to receive dimensional data from the sensor system, monitor that dimensional data by performing a dimensional analysis, and then deactivate or remove the heat source in response to dimensional analysis results indicating that the sleeve is fully melted (in the case of a solder sleeve) or only fully shrunken (in the case of a dead end sleeve) onto the cable.

Methods and apparatus for installing sleeve on cable using active dimensional analysis

A shield trim is performed by tearing bunched shield strands circumferentially along a circular edge. The apparatus includes a pair of aligned metal plates that have been drilled through multiple times such that holes of varying diameters pass through both plates. A cable gripper on the entry side of the device clamps the cable in place. A shield gripper on the rear side of the device closes over the exposed shielding of the cable, and the two plates are pushed together. The shield gripper travels with the rear plate, pushing the shield over the wires and causing the shield to bunch between the two plates. With the two plates pushed together, both grippers open and the cable is pulled free from the device. This pull forces a stress concentration which tears the shield strands across the sharp edge of the hole, producing a uniformly trimmed shield.

Method for trimming cable shield

Apparatus for installing a sleeve on a cable

A system configured to position a tip of a cable. The system includes: a cable delivery system; a cable tip positioning module situated at a workstation in proximity to the cable delivery system; a pair of wheels operable to push a cable into the cable tip positioning module when a cable is in a nip between the wheels; an apparatus configured to hold the wheels; a motor operatively coupled to drive rotation of the wheels; and a proximity sensor configured to issue a cable present signal indicating the proximity of a conductor in the cable. The cable tip positioning module comprises a computer system configured to activate the motor to drive rotation of the wheels in a cable pulling direction in response to issuance of the cable present signal.

System configured to position a tip of a cable

An automated system for processing an end of a cable. The system includes: a cable delivery system; a cable processing module; a pallet supported by the cable delivery system; a drive wheel rotatably coupled to the pallet; a motor operatively coupled for driving rotation of the drive wheel; and an idler wheel rotatably coupled to the pallet and forming a nip with the drive wheel. The cable processing module includes cable processing equipment and a computer system. The computer system is configured to: (a) cause the drive wheel to rotate in a cable pushing direction to cause a specified length of cable to be inserted into the cable processing equipment; (b) activate the cable processing equipment to operate on the cable end; and (c) cause the drive wheel to rotate in a cable pulling direction to cause the length of cable to be removed from the cable processing equipment.

System for processing an end of a cable

Semi-automated (with manual feeding) and fully automated (with automated feeding) solutions for using a vision system to evaluate shield trim quality on shielded cables. The vision system uses a multiplicity of cameras and a corresponding multiplicity of mirrors in order to achieve a 360-degree view of the cable segment to be inspected. Cables to be inspected are positioned in a repeatable location based on the strip length of the cable (where the edge of the cable jacket is located relative to the end of the cable). The processing system receives a live image feed from the camera system and then uses color and dimensional analysis of the acquired images to determine whether the shield trim meets quality control specifications or not.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Grace L Duncan